Thursday, 17 April 2014 14:42
Last Updated on Thursday, 17 April 2014 14:46

Number: - 02/14

Date: Sarajevo, 16.04.2014

THE PRESS COUNCIL IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

PRESS RELEASE

REGARDING THE THREATS AGAINST THE DIRECTOR AND EDITOR, AND EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MAGAZINE “START BIH”

The Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina demands that the police, prosecution and other responsible institutions urgently identify, process and harshly punish the perpetrator.

The Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the self-regulatory body for print and online media, strongly condemns the threats against a member of the Council - the editorial staff of the magazine START, Director and Editor in Chief of the magazine, and his family.

These threats are a coarse attempt of intimidating and preventing the magazine START from freely covering the issue of corruption and crime. The attempt of intimidating a member of the Press Council in BiH, the editorial staff of the magazine START, the sending of threats against journalists, the editor in chief and members of his family - are a criminal deed that demands urgent intervention of the police and prosecution, in order to protect them, but also to protect the freedom of information and the freedom of media in BiH.

Director and Editor in Chief of the magazine “Start BiH”, Mr. Dario Novalic, received a phone call from an unknown person this morning, who presented himself as Darko Elez and who made serious threats against him, following the publication of a photograph on the cover page and the article in the magazine START that address the current trial in the Court of BiH, in the case of “Bojan Cvijan and others”, amongst whom is Darko Elez as well.

The Press Council in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as the self-regulatory body that protects the media from political, economic and all other forms of pressure and attacks that threaten the freedom of information, reminds that without free media there is no free society, or free life for the citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The public has the right to accurate and current information by means of media, and any endangerment preventing journalists from freely transferring such information to the public in BiH are attacks, not just against the freedom of media and information, but against the democratic pillars of the society in BiH.

In this light, the Press Council in BiH demands from the police, prosecution and other responsible institutions to urgently identify, process and severely punish the perpetrators responsible for the threats and intimidation.